His absence made my stomach twist. Sure, we’d only been dating for four months, but we’d known each other for twelve. He’d met my family. I’d visited his parents’ grave. We’d made plans for the future. Our future. None of my other exes had been able to get me to utter the word “our.” It was always me, me, me. But I’d helped Derek get over the pain of his loss, and he’d helped me get over my obsession with myself. We saved each—
That’s when the floor started moving. The cart I’d been sitting on wobbled, and I had to grab the railing on the wall to help myself stand. I pulled my keys from my pocket, holding my house key and car key and garage key in between my fingers. If someone tried to attack me when I reached the next floor, it would make the swing of my fist more painful.
When the doors opened, I braced myself for blood, but all I saw was Tyler. Red stains were visible on his white socks, but other than that, he looked normal. I wrapped my arms around him for a brief hug, then tried to step past him and into the storage room.
He put an arm out to stop me, and my chest bumped into it. “What do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “I fixed the elevator so I could get in there with you. It’s the safest place.”
